The door to the wheelhouse is under siege, as a half-dozen raiders try to break through it with a battering ram. Most of the skirmishing is finished on the deck itself, with only a few of the surviving crew putting up resistance. The pirate captain stands atop the wheelhouse, overlooking his new prize – a middle-aged Vartan with brown and gray feathers sporting a speckled chest, and pale, spotted hide on his equine lower half. As a Sphynx alights next to him, he scrawks, "Tulani, help with the clean-up!"

The black and white Sphynx snaps a quick salute, and says, "Right away, Father!" Drawing her two sabers, she leaps down onto the deck and chases after a lone Kavi that's trying to get up into the rigging. A few quick shouts frighten the tan Kavi enough to slow him down, and a good whack with the side of a saber sends him sprawling to the deck. As she raises her sword to strike a killing blow, however, Tulani gets a sense of wrongness. She's sure she knows this Kavi, and some of the other crew of the captured airship…

Tulani freezes with the sword raised, before slowly lowering it, staring at the fallen Kavi in front of her. Had she just been about to kill him? She didn't want to kill or harm anyone did she? The Sphynx hadn't been attacked, but there she was attacking. Lifting her blue eyes from the Kavi in front of her, Tulani takes a swift look around, thinking quickly to herself, Ok… this isn't right, I know this isn't right!… What in heavens is going on?

"Something wrong, girl?" the Vartan captain calls. The same Vartan that Tulani was just now certain was her father.

This is wrong, the black and white Sphynx thinks to herself… but whatever the case she doesn't know what is going on or how much danger she is in… especially if these are pirates… Her eyes narrow at the Vartan. Father eh? She quickly shakes her head to the Vartan though she can't bring herself to speak. I must be dreaming?… Like what Alptraum said happened when we went to try and face that sorcerer. Even if I'm dreaming I'm not going to kill someone. Turning back to the Kavi she mouths a word of apology to him before brining the sword down, handle first, on his head. Better unconscious than dead, even in a dream.

The Vartan is scowling now, and stomping towards the Sphynx with his cutlass drawn – only he seems to move slower, and grow dimmer the closer he comes, until everything seems to just fade away to an afterimage over a white background.

Tulani just sinks down to her knees as the image grows dim, and takes a deep, shuddering breath, finding herself, at that moment, profoundly glad for the white blankness – and missing her family terribly. Her real family, not this Vartan pirate who she is quite sure must have been the one to spawn her, but the two equines who had raised her, and the third whom, to her, was her brother.

As the vision fades, something seems to be approaching from behind it - a fuzzy silhouette, dark against the stark white blankness. It grows quickly, and steps into the foreground as the last of the airship imagery vanishes. A golden Khatta woman stands before Tulani, wearing a fancy headdress decorated with inlaid stones and a colorful robe. "You must be Tulani," the woman says, then demands, "Open your mouth and say 'Awwwwww'."

More dazed than she can remember being so far in her life, the Sphynx nods. Still thinking about her adoptive parents, and caught off guard by the authoritative voice – which somehow reminds her of her mother even if the two do not sound the same – Tulani reacts quite simply by obediently opening her mouth and sticking her tongue out.

The golden Khatta kneels down as well, and pushes back Tulani's lips with her fingers. Then, she turns the Sphynx's head to the left and right to study her profile. Finally letting go, she sighs and says, "Well, you aren't Her, even though I'm pretty sure She's incarnated as a Sphynx right now. Your mother was a regular Khatta, not one of Aeztepan blood."

Tulani closes her mouth slowly and blinks as the ornately dressed Khatta lets go, pondering for a moment before speaking. "Um… If you don't mind my asking… " the Sphynx manages in a rather polite voice, though being rather unsettled, "Who exactly were you mistaking me for? And who are you precisely?" Tulani takes another, good look at the woman, taking in the colored robes, and headdress. "Are you Nala?" she asks, her ears flicking back slightly in surprise.

"Well, neither of us are actually Nala," the woman says, "but I'm close enough, so you can call me Nala if you like. I thought you might be her, come to claim me at long last, but you're not the right Sphynx."

"Oh… " Tulani doesn't seem to know quite how to react to that bit of information, so settles on a quiet apology as the best beginning choice, I'm sorry about that. Must be a disappointment for you. Are you the embodiment of the sword then?"

"Mmmm… something like that," the Khatta says. "I'm a daemon of sorts, that maintains Nala's memories, and I do exist in the 'sword' artifact. Now, may I ask why you've sought me out?"

The Sphynx flicks her ears, looking embarrassed, "Ah, I'm sorry if I seem rude… It just after that… everything seems a bit out of joint." She says, gesturing to the faded image still vaguely in the background, then she continues, "To try and help Sylvania. My friends and I have been following this map to find the sword… well, you, to see if you could help us get rid of a necromancer that is posing a lot of trouble and potentially going to do a lot of damage soon." Tulani finishes, trying to remain very polite.

The Khatta leans to one side, propping herself up with an arm. "So… did you have this map before you found out about the necromancer?" she asks, with a bit of a purr.

Blinking quickly, Tulani hits a small realization as she remembers. Looking at the goddess with a puzzled look, she crosses her legs into a more comfortable seat. "You know… I did have it. I've gotten so caught up I had completely forgotten."

Nala arches an eyebrow, and then asks, "So, what was your original reason?"

"To be perfectly honest, it was something new, and interesting. I was curious." The Sphynx sounds a little embarrassed, but not mollified. The question suddenly did seem important, though it was simple, so she continues, "And, well, Sylvania is rather a mess as it is. I was hoping I might find something that could help in some way." She looks at the figure of 'Nala' as if for approval.

"Hmmm, are you Sylvanian yourself then?" the lazy-looking feline asks next.

Tulani nods quietly and watches the golden Khatta with interest.

"And Dunklestein told you that the Light could help Sylvania?" the Khatta asks, a slight motion of her head making the beads and stones on her head tinkle like wind chimes.

Scratching her head and thinking for a moment the Sphynx eventually replies with a slightly odd tone in her voice, perhaps suspicion generated by the questions that were certainly helping her to think on matters, though the suspicion was obviously not directed at the Khatta whom Tulani continued to regard with respectful politeness, "You know… I don't think he ever really told us much. I had the impression that there might be treasure which would certainly help rebuild parts of Sylvania if possible. And then we learned about the 'Light of Nala', yourself. He certainly wanted someone to come down here though, he did lead us, and talked to us. He didn't have a problem showing us the way when we got here either."

"There was also some mention of Necropolis." Tulani adds after a moment's thought, looking uncomfortable with the name.

"Do you think he'd lead whomever had the map, or might he have had another reason to bring you here?" Nala's visage asks.

Tulani says, "Now I'm not sure. I'm starting to think he might have another reason, why lead someone unless you want them to do something, or need something to happen." The Sphynx said and then paused, searching her memory, "He mentioned something about a reward for the 'return of the Light', I hadn't really thought about it. It's odd, I hardly remembered that until you asked. I have to wonder now though."

"Tell me more about this Dunklestein fellow, would you?" the Khatta asks, using her free hand to draw circles in the… whiteness.

Trying to think, the Sphynx watches the motions of the Khatta as she tries to scrape together the bits she thought she knew about the 'man-made-map' and finds the motions a bit distracting while she tries to concentrate.

"I remember him when he was alive, actually," Nala suddenly says. "Not sure how his current state has changed him, but it sounds like he wants you to take me back to the Temple of Nala on the Gigi Coast. That would, I imagine, clear him of any further obligations regarding Me or the Well of Souls."

"Oh, you do? Ah well, I feel a little better about it then. Now that I think about it, would it even be safe to remove you from here with the remains of necromancers here? I didn't know about them when I came down here," Tulani replies carefully.

"Oh them?" Nala says, flicking her tail up into a question mark. "They'd just die I think. I can't actually use my own power, but I'm pretty sure that's what would happen. Or else they'd come back to life and try to eat you. One of those choices."

"Ah… " was all the Sphynx could manage for a moment. Two choices and one of them very bad. "Um, do you mind if I ask you a question? What exactly do you want? Do you want anything? My dad always said memories have a life of their own." Tulani winces immediately after saying it… thinking, my father who raised me… not… whoever that is… looking briefly at the faint image of the speckled Vartan. "Do you want to be returned to your temple if we can remove you? Would you be willing to help us if possible?"

"Ah, there's that word: willing," Nala says, and rolls onto her back, kicking one leg up into the air. "See, I don't have a will of my own. I need to be reunited with the Soul of Nala for that. I suppose if I was back at the Temple, it would be easier for Her to find me though. I can help you, so long as you don't need me to actually do anything."

Tulani tilts her head curiously as she watches the other woman, commenting at the lack of 'will'. "You're… very interesting, did you know that?" It is a simple and straightforward statement. The Sphynx has to think a moment, before continuing, "Well… I suppose we should return you to your temple if it is possible for the sword to be removed."

"Well, I am mostly a goddess, after all," the Khatta says. "The important parts, at least. And the archetype for Rinala, Inala and Sunala, and probably a few others. Your libidinous wolf friend seemed to find me distracting though. I'm sure Dunklestein knows how to remove me, and what the consequences would be."

"Hmm… yes, I can see how you would fit the archetypes for all of those." Tulani murmurs, and for the first time since finding herself in this 'place' actually grins at the mention of Arkold, looking the Khatta up and down, "Ah… yes, I can see how he would find you distracting. Um, did you want to ask me anything else?"

"Well, how did it feel to be a dragon, even if it was just an illusion of sorts?" the other feline asks, turning onto her side to watch Tulani now.

Tulani lies down on her stomach as the 'goddess' turned onto her side, feeling a bit more comfortable that way herself. She had to think a moment to figure out how to describe the sensation properly… "It was… interesting, most definitely interesting! And different. Everything felt different; I could see things from a different angle. Breathing ice was… odd, and my tongue did go a bit numb from it. It felt like my mind, hmm, cooled down a bit? Not sure how to put it. It was like, instead of panicking like I thought I would I just thought 'alright, here I am, how can I make this work?'"

The Sphynx blinks quickly and adds suddenly after a moment of thought, "But how did you know about me turning into a dragon?"

"Ah, very interesting," Nala comments. "Oh, your friend mentioned it. It may all have been part of a plot by Dagh to help this necromancer fellow, you see. He's tricky like that."

Rubbing her face with a free hand, the Sphynx felt all of this was starting to give her a headache. Tulani asks concernedly, "You mean this is all a plot by the actual god Dagh? Oh… my."

"Wellll, I don't know if he managed to have you actually find the map," Nala admits. "Or if he really even knows about Me. But he did seem to make sure you received what you needed to remove the obstacle that the necromancer could not deal with on his own."

"Lovely… just lovely… " comes a slow, rather frustrated response from the laying Sphynx. "Well, you're most of a goddess, and quite intelligent, so any advice on how me and my friends can possibly turn around or fix this mess with the necromancer?"

"Shoot him in the head," Nala suggests. "Works wonders on evil ambitions. I can amplify magic, but it seems you don't have a Mage among your group. Of course, I can kill the undead as well, but your foe is probably still alive."

"Ah well… the problem isn't just him you know… " the Sphynx says a bit surprised, "It's the whole wading through armies of the undead and blood monsters he has most likely raised, along with the living who have sided with him, in order to get to him in the first place." She continues with a bit of dry humor in her voice, "Though if you kill the undead that would be a big help." Rubbing her temples, Tulani adds, "And then there's the whole him trying to become a god thing… supposedly he'll be able to do that soon, though I can't remember the exact date."

"Armies of the undead, you say?" Nala asks. "Are you certain he can do that?"

Tulani says, "I'm not certain, but 'assume the worst and be prepared' kind of thing seems best, since he is a necromancer, and he most definitely can make these blood monster creatures, as well as having the living following him."

"So, aside from these blood monsters, what other powers have you seen him wield?" the goddess asks.

Tulani says, "He has some power with sleep and dreams possibly? Or the dream realm, according to what Alptraum and Arkold said happened to them. A hand in illusion as well most likely… " the Sphynx pauses and shudders, still remembering the claustrophobic feeling from when she and Alptraum went down a stair/tunnel to try to face the sorcerer. Struck by a thought, she notes, "Also… Dack knew we were coming when I and my friend Alptraum tried to go and face him."

"He knew that you specifically were coming?" Nala asks, swishing her tail against the ground.

Tulani lays her head on her hands for a moment. "Well… He knew I was coming specifically… but he was surprised by Alptraum. Dack thought he would be someone else and asked what game Alptraum's mother was playing at. I can only assume he meant Sunala with what Alptraum has told me and with various gods in mention at the moment," she says, smiling quietly at Nala.

"Ah, so Dagh may have an opponent among the gods," Nala suggests, and grins. "Perhaps you are not the pawns he wants you to be. This could become very interesting, and I'm sure you will learn more before you leave the Well of Souls."

"Ah… well, while I'm here, would you mind giving me a hint?" Tulani asks in a slightly sheepish, slightly humorous voice at the mention of learning more before leaving.

"Well, there should be two sarcophagi near me," Nala notes. "One sealed, containing the remains of the Necromancer King, and one left open. It may do you well to have a look inside the open one." The Khatta then winks.

"Hmm, I was wondering about that actually. I guess I'll have to take a look… I just hope it isn't going to suck me in or anything," the black and white Sphynx says with a small smile.

"No, nothing of the sort," Nala says. "I just think they put the 'treasure' in that one."

"Well, I'll be sure to take a look. one thing though: Umm… Mave touched the sword just before I ended up here, what happened to her? Did she end up in a place like this too?" Tulani asks looking curious, though not overly concerned.

"Oh, yes, I met her first," Nala says. "An interesting woman, if a bit fixated on vengeance. Really, she should talk to Rephath about that sort of thing. After our little chat here, I'll see to your friend Alptraum… although… hmm, he seems to be encountering some resistance. Very odd, unless… " She momentarily looks perplexed.

Tulani's ears flick back in concern. "Is something wrong? Is Alptraum ok?" she quickly inquires

"Oh, he's fine, it's just the tag-along that's dragging," Nala says, and nimbly rolls up onto her feet. "I should go give him a little tug, though. Did you have any other questions?"

The Sphynx stands to her feet as well, stretching her wings. "Actually I have two. One: Why is it that this appeared here if I am dreaming like I think I am, if you know what that is," she says gesturing at the still very faded scene of piracy and carnage around them, "And two: since Mave isn't, ah… really a priestess of yours… you wouldn't mind if I smack her would you?" She finishes, thinking, that is if she keeps up that ridiculous notion she had when she touched the sword.

"I wouldn't mind if you smacked her even if she was a priestess of mine," Nala says, then turns to look at the fading scene around them. "Oh, this? Well, it is the shadow of your life; what would have happened had you made a key decision differently in your past."

Tulani smiles at Nala and bows slightly. "Well, it was nice to meet you. Thank you for all your advice, your questions were helpful too, got me to think," she says and looks at the faded scene around her, mumbling to herself, "Wow… Suddenly I'm quite glad I became an orphan."